The Tour de France has withdrawn a lawsuit against a spectator who caused a massive pileup during the first stage of the race, organizers told Reuters on Thursday.
The spectator, a 30-year-old French woman, was in custody at a police station in Landerneau, Brittany, the northwest French region where the world’s biggest cycling event held its first four stages.
She was holding a cardboard sign and facing away from the cyclists at a television camera as they passed. German Tony Martin was sent tumbling when he rode straight into the sign, and a large number of other riders also fell to the ground.
“We are withdrawing our complaint,” Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. “This story has been blown out of proportion, but we wish to remind everyone of the safety rules on the race.
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“If you come to the Tour, you hold your kid, you hold your pet and don’t cross the road carelessly. And above all, you respect the riders — they’re the ones worthy of live TV.”
French news outlet RTL reported on Wednesday that the spectator could have been in line for a €1,500 (roughly $1,781) fine after she was accused of involuntarily causing injury and putting the life of others at risk.
On Tuesday, Tour de France riders brought the race to a halt for about a minute 1 kilometer into its fourth stage in a silent protest for safer racing conditions after numerous crashes.
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